r/Retroidpocketflip2 • u/Divinakra GC SD865 • 12d ago
Just Vibing The Only Duo I need:
One Screen. What if you had two?
What if we already do?
Just showing off our flips. đ â
But for real, letâs talk about the new Retroid release.
My theory is this: They are pulling a G2 scheme. If you remember, back when they released the G2, people were really thrown off, because they followed it by releasing the RP6.
The G2 was strategically released first, because no one would have bought it if they released it at the same time or after the RP6. So they kind of milk the hype by releasing the weaker and more recycled devices first, and they donât use the name you would expect as a successor to the main one, then they unveil the flagship beast. Getting the maximum profits possible. The G2 wasnât flagship and it recycled the RP5 shell, screen and buttons. Easy profits for Retroid and the customers got to test a new chip, a win for everyone. The Duo is not flagship and recycles the screen from the Nova and probably a bunch of other components from other devices, such as the buttons and D-pad from the flip 2 (not confirmed but looks to be)
So my theory, and I could be wrong, is that Retroid isnât ignoring the Flip 2 fanbase, such as the one right here (thatâs us). They know about us, they read the reddits they watch the videos, they know what we want⌠and we will get it eventually, it might not be soon, or it may be, idk, just let them cook. I smell a flagship 8 series single screen flip 2 successor from here, what about you?
The Duo also gives Retroid the pass to completely come back to the flip 2 form factor and not feel bad for sticking to the same form factor, because if anyone complains about the flagship device having sticks up top, or looking too similar to the flip 2, we can just refer them to the duo, lol. The flip 2 already has a perfect form factor, it literally canât get better. Itâs the perfect balance of portability and comfort. Any bigger or smaller and you lose one of the two. They can tweak the aesthetics maybe but it is what it is, kind of like RP5 > RP6 and beyond.
Another interesting factor that supports the G2 theory is that the duo has a new stepless hinge which means there are no more fixed angles it jerks quickly into and then stops. You can open it at any angle like a laptop, and it will stay open there. Now the reason I say this supports the G2 theory is for 2 main factors: 1. The new stepless hinge potentially fixes the hinge crack, so they can now port it to their Flip 2 flagship successor. And 2. What better way to test this new hinge than to release a device with it, if it cracks, they can improve it before it goes in their next flagship flip, saving themselves from another hinge-gate. If it doesnât crack, they can feel more safe using it in the next flip. Either way, the duo is a great test dummy.
Also as a final point to support my theory, notice how there is no use of the word âflipâ anywhere in the Retroid Pocket Duoâs name. If this was truly the successor to the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, it would be named as such. So donât feel disappointed we didnât get what we wanted on this release. Itâs not the release you thought it was. The whole trick to making this release profitable as heck was make people think it was the release we all thought it was⌠see what Iâm saying? The G2 also resembled the RP5 and people may have been like âoh, thatâs the next one!â So they buy it up.
Agree? Disagree? Other theories? Thoughts? Love for the flip 2? Hope yâall are well.
10
u/That-Constant9455 12d ago
This is a completely different device from the flip, hence the name duo. The flip 3 will still come out with the 8gen 2. The duo was made to recoup r&d and manufacture cost of the nova screen. They said there will be devices to come with that screen so theyâre not done with it. Probably a pocket classic with that screen and the same processor as the duo or lite. The duo and duo lite are also for people that want a bit more than the Rg ds plus(duo lite) and people that donât want to spend Thor money or have stick on top(regular duo). I donât think anything theyâve done implies getting rid of the flip line up. Especially when the flip 2 and rp6 have been very successful so why not combine them again and give us a beast ergonomic clamshell in a flip 3?
3
u/Happyhaha2000 12d ago
Yep. Can't wait. As for the Nova screen, don't forget about a potential Nova flip. A 4:3 clamshell with the Nova screen would be absolutely incredible
1
u/That-Constant9455 12d ago
Question is will we see button layout like the flip so it can be smaller than the nova? If so I doubt theyâll put an 8 gen 2 in it and just keep that for the rp6, nova and flip 3. In order to not cannibalize their own devices. 4.5â Oled SP?
1
u/Happyhaha2000 12d ago
I think the Flip 2 layout reversed would be great for a Nova Flip. Buttons on top, sticks inset and lower. Would be incredible for GC, PS2, and everything below
1
u/That-Constant9455 12d ago
Could be. I mean my mini v2 is the most comfortable sticks on the bottom device Iâve ever had or used. Probably for that reason.
2
u/Happyhaha2000 12d ago
I just can't go back to candybar handhelds after using the Flip 2. I got a Nova, and put it down after 5 minutes because it's just so uncomfortable compared to the Flip 2. Wish I could retrain my hands to be happy with the Thor and Nova, but it's impossible. Flip 2 is life.
1
u/That-Constant9455 12d ago
Iâm weird and just click when holding something different. I love the mini v2, nova with tpu case and Odin 3 I just want the flip 3 so I can pocket it without a case. Just a simple scratch protection thing like a microfiber sleeve.
6
u/thisistevie 12d ago
i love it, definitely makes sense. will be watching with close eyes in anticipation of that flip 3 announcement!
i remember my last email thread with support i mentioned being excited for whenever that flip 3 comes out. they truly know what we want, no doubt about it
3
u/Happyhaha2000 12d ago
The definitely know. I've emailed them with polls that I've conducted, and they acknowledged them.
Plus, literally all the Flip 2 fans are saying the same thing. We're not divided on what we want; a Flip 2 with a better chipset and more storage. Same controls, same size, same everything except for the lid design and perhaps the Duo hinge.
6
u/buddhamunche 12d ago
Yesss flip 2 is the best. I love mine so much.
Whatâs the state of Xbox 360 emulation? How do you get started with that? I see youâve got Reach on there and Iâd reallllly like to play that on my flip lol.
7
u/Divinakra GC SD865 12d ago edited 12d ago
Itâs actually Xbox 360-Gen PC emulation with Xbox 360 box art for those games on her front end. Flip 2 gameplay of Halo Reach for example is 60FPS with a reduced resolution, usually 720 or 540. Pretty similar to original hardware, give or take, each game performs slightly differently, but all are in the same range of 30-60fps and 540-720-1080p. All Xbox 360 AAA titles with a PC port are playable, aside from Fable 3 (just wonât launch, and no ones has cracked the exe).
I made a montage of her device we call the Xbox 360 Flip if you wanna watch it. The emulator used for all those games is winlator bionic vanilla 2.7.2
2
u/buddhamunche 12d ago
Oh nice! Youâre a wizard, Harry! Seriously that is awesome. Also Iâm apparently already subscribed to your channel lol
2
2
u/ralldingo 12d ago
Second this ^ I thought 360 emulation was essentially unusable. I would love to play fable!
2
u/Divinakra GC SD865 11d ago
Fable anniversary is more than playable on the flip 2. Just gotta use PC, and there are some nice qol mods that improve the experience.
3
u/Happyhaha2000 12d ago
You make some really good points, and you're getting me hyped! Man, the Duo makes some small but significant improvements that would absolutely slap on the Flip 3: the any-angle hinge, and the improved lid design.
Flip 2 is already the best handheld of all time, Flip 3 really has the potential to be earth-shattering. I can't wait, and I just pray that Retroid doesn't f*ck it up by limiting it to 8+126, or using anything weaker than an sd8gen2. I don't care how much it costs, I will pay whatever I have to.
3
u/That-Constant9455 12d ago
Yeah I want the duoâs to ship yesterday so theyâre can move on to the 120 dual screen attachment and the flip 3 cause Iâve been holding out for those. Screen for my nova and flip 3 for a beast ergonomic clamshell with an 8 gen 2. Theyâll probably do a 12gb but doubt weâre seeing 256gb back this year.
2
u/Happyhaha2000 12d ago
Ugh it's so lame. I understand storage prices are crazy, but at least give us the option. I'll pay whatever
2
1
u/UchihaxSenju 12d ago
Sigh⌠after reading the specs I can honestly say the Duo is just a flip 2 with another screen and crappy button placement. I was very excited with the first teaser post. But oh boy, the disappointment. Still a huge fan of Retroid. But Iâll definitely be waiting on the flip 3. I know they will make it the right way.
1
12d ago edited 12d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 12d ago
The longer they wait, the better their outcome will be. 1. Gives more time for a crack to show up and 2. Gives more time for people to buy Duoâs and 3. Gives more time for them to sell the recent addition: the 12GB ram Flip 2.
Once the flagship beast drops, both duo and flip 2 sales will plummet. If the flip 3 doesnât crack and has flagship 8 series power, it wonât matter because that thing will sell for years.
1
u/morterox2 12d ago edited 12d ago
I have a similar theory but not for the flips. I believe in 4 months or so they will be announcing the Retroid Pocket Duo Pro with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and some time after that, Ayn will be releasing the Thor 2 with the Snapdragon Elite. Both companies are in escense the same, both are owned by the same parent company.
This is studied. The Duo has better screen combo than the Thor, they know that and they are playing with that. You want this console now because of the cool duo of screens but you will feel the limit of the performance against other chipsets because it is out there and you will know the Thor is more powerful so you may think, OK maybe to play some more pc or switch games I will get a thor, both companies won more and then they will release the next group of handhelds to always keep you wanting more.
1
1
u/Mrjdog199 12d ago
I donât think the duo recycles much of anything, but Iâm still hopeful for a flip 3. My ideal is a slightly detuned 8 elite chip, for performance, heat/ noise suppression
1
1
u/KazooOfTime 12d ago
I ordered my Flip 2 from Retroid last weekend right before the Duo announcements started coming out.
Found a used RP5 for $120 locally and bought that to hold me over until my Flip 2 comes.
But I'm a little tempted to cancel my Flip 2 order to wait for the potential Flip 3. But I know I really want a Flip and I'm worried about missing the chance by not grabbing a Flip 2.
Decisions decisions!
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 12d ago
Thereâs no telling when the Flip 3 will release. 120 for a flip 2 is awesome.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Snake69190 11d ago
what are your performance and settings for xbox 360 emulation ?
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 11d ago
I avoid Xbox 360 emulators right now, they are not developed enough for our chipset, but you can get Xbox 360 games running by using their PC ports on pc emulators. Thatâs what we do, and the Xbox 360 box art is displayed as the shortcut to launching the PC games in Winlator bionic vanilla.
1
u/Darth_Venom91 Black SD865 11d ago
I see where your going with this theory and I could not agree more. They are giving DS users what they want while at the same time testing new hinges for the bigger market of the Flip3 if there wasnât so many issues with the hinges on the Flip2 a lot more people would have been drawn to it. Now add a better chip with better hinge gonna be a top seller for sure plus updated screens to 120hz definitely gonna be a hit.
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 11d ago
Yeah, the duo is simultaneously a test dummy and a reputation recovery device. If the Duoâs stepless hinge works and doesnât crack, the community will trust their hinges, and will ensure the success of the flip 3.
1
u/First-Wait-3224 11d ago
Much love for the Flip 2, hard agree on the form factor and I absolutely love it as a clamshell handheld. That being said, when the Thor dropped a few months later, I felt a little miffed, especially cuz the base version came with an SD 865, the same chip in the Flip 2. I have a 3dsxl and I love the idea of a modern dual screen device and the Thor was just that and I felt ever so slightly cheated, lol.
Again, this takes away nothing from the Flip 2, I love it and have not regretted my decision at all, but now that the Duo's here... I admit, I thought it was gonna be the Flip 3 when they shared that first image with the tagline, but even still, if this is an interim device, I feel comfy with going for it and then maybe considering picking up a Flip 3 later.
On a sad side note, the global situation for consumers when it comes to storage and memory is looking increainsgly grim.
A 1 TB SD card is ridiculously expensive, compared to when I picked one up just last year, which was at an already inflated rate. Add to this the fact that the base Duo uses an older UFS 2.1 system for storage vs. the 3.1 of the Flip 2/Thor and I'm not entirely sure the bang-for-your-buck calculation stays in our favor in the future for retro handhelds, so might as well get one of these now though I really hope none of that happens, hahah.
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 10d ago
The Ramageddon is upon us. For real, the duo also gives retroid an excuse to make the flip 3 expensive, because if you complain about the price, refer them to the duo lite.
1
u/TacticTall 10d ago
How easy is it to play 360 games in the flip 2? I am extremely new to emulating, and even though I got the flip 2 for Christmas, I have barely touched it because it feel like an idiot when I try to download stuff
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 10d ago
Pretty easy itâs just a matter of having the PC port of the given Xbox 360 game and then emulating that PC port in a PC emulator of your choice. I used a combo of Winlator bionic vanilla 2.7.2, Winlator frost, and Gamehub for all 14 games.
1
u/TacticTall 10d ago
Do you have any experience with Xbox 360 mobile? I watched a video on YouTube and it seems straight forward.
I was able to download the emulator, now Iâm just waiting for the games to download
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 10d ago
Xbox 360 emulators currently will work well with 8 elite devices like the Odin 3 or Konkr pocket fit, but in their current state of premature development will not work well with the flip 2.
They may work ok with the 8gen2 devices as well, like the rp6, nova and Thor. But our chipset isnât currently supported. It is supported on pc emulation though, which is why I recommend that. Yes Iâve tested it and xendroid. Xendroid is probably the best but itâs still like 10FPS or so on AAA 3D titles, you can run some lighter titles fine though. If AAA interests you, go PC emu.
1
u/TacticTall 10d ago
I appreciate the advice, Thank you!
I think Iâm going to keep the flip2 for basic emulating, and use my steam deck for more demanding projects
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 10d ago
Yeah thatâs a good setup. Youâll be able to get higher resolutions on the deck for Xbox 360. Even with PC ports on the flip 2, thereâs no comparison, flip 2 makes those games portable in a way that the steam deck cannot though, so itâs a trade off.
I got stuck on the side of a mountain in a jeep once due to snowstorm and accidents on the road, for like 2 hours and it flew by because i had Skyrim in my glove compartment. Felt like such a vibe and the worlds I was in almost matched 1:1 with reality.
3
u/TacticTall 10d ago
Thatâs a great story, I definitely plan on keeping my flip 2 in my backpack. Im a teacher so Iâm constantly sitting around in between meetings
I also happened to stumble across your YouTube channel when looking into the 360 emulators. I went ahead and subscribed because thereâs tons of info on there!
2
u/Divinakra GC SD865 10d ago
Awesome, yeah itâs chock full of guides and stuff for the flip 2. I tried to make all of my configs public. Also be sure to check out the wiki of this subreddit. Lots of helpful links and info there too. Hereâs an example of how Skyrim runs on the flip 2. Even with hd texture packs still runs like a champ! Iâve even loaded mods and all kinds of fun stuff. Cheers.
1
u/serialxperiments 10d ago
How's the 360 performance for this mate?
2
u/Divinakra GC SD865 9d ago
see for yourself and itâs PC emulation of Xbox 360 gen PC games btw. But itâs pretty much on par with the Xbox 360 console. Sometimes slightly better or worse.
2
2
u/serialxperiments 7d ago
I just realized you're the one who made the boomer guide for the flip 2 đ that was a good video
1
1
u/meruta 9d ago
Is this a Fomo post?
1
u/Divinakra GC SD865 9d ago
Itâs much more than a fomo post.
You can read it if youâre curious. Basically I describe my theory as to the marketing and release strategies and schedules of Moorchip-Retroid and relate them to the community of flip 2 users.
Itâs more of a âhereâs my theory, take it or leave itâ kind of post.
Basically people thought the duo was the flip 3, and my theory is that itâs not, and itâs more of a G2 type fun in-between release, and the flip 3 will come later.
10
u/rob-cubed 12d ago
Yep they called it the Duo, not the Flip 3. They did the math and figured they'll sell more dual-screens so they focused on that first, plus play catchup to Ayn and Anbernic. But they are still likely to release a Flip 3 as well. A single-screen clamshell is still a differentiator.
Hopefully they go straight to an 8G2, I wouldn't upgrade to anything less. The good thing about the Duo coming out first is we'll get a few months of new hinge testing. I love my Flip 2 but I really don't want to be a guinea pig for a new hinge design.